Star Wars: Revolution's Rebirth
by Rayloth-Zafner
Summary: "Expanded Universe" tale of Two Jedi on a quest from the Jedi Council. (Told slightly out of NJO continuity) Chapter One with an introduction...


Okay, well, I suppose I'd better get started. And what better place to start then by telling you the story behind the story…um…yeah. Well, "Revolution's Rebirth" is an idea that started breeding in the back of my mind WAY back when uVector Prime/u was first released. I'd decided that I wanted to write a story involving myself and my friends in the best damn universe out there; a galaxy far far away, I guess you could say. Well, I quickly developed a plot—a plot that changed and changed as I read each new book in the NJO series—and started writing. Well, things finally reached a point where I loved where the story was going and I was ready to begin the actual writing of the story and I made it three chapters in. Then uStar by Star/u was released and I read it. I'm not going to give anything away, but the events that take place in the latest NJO novel forever change the way I see the Star Wars Universe and its characters. I'd reached a dilemma. Do I make an attempt to revamp the plot of "Revolution's Rebirth" to fit the future that would more likely come out of uStar by Star/u or do I just make "Revolution's Rebirth" a kind of "Elseworlds" story. I love the plot and where it takes my characters so…I took RR out of the regular Star Wars continuity and give you the following:  
  
"Revolution's Rebirth" is a possible future in which the events in uStar by Star/u never happened. In it we meet Rayloth Zafner and Tymn Slashtyrn, two Jedi Knights who are sent to Rayloth's home planet Dandora'an on a secret mission by the Council and personal request of Dandora'an's young Ambassador. A mission so secret even the Jedi partners are unaware of their true goal. Meanwhile, Bryon Rob'el, witty leader of the Nova Cats—a renowned smuggling organization—comes across some delicate information and, with the help of some of his Cats, rushes to stop what could be a…  
  
cRevolution's Rebirth/c  
  
  
  
bChapter One/b  
  
  
  
The wind picked up just a little as they stepped off the boarding ramp of the shuttle, iWhite Knight/i, and grabbed at the bottom of their cloaks pulling the bottoms back away from their legs. Each wore a similar cloak of the same design; long wrapping cape and simple, but large hood. The only difference was their colors. Tymn Slashtyrn, the shorter--though not by much--slightly stockier built of the two wore a jet black cloak held around his neck with a silver clasp while Rayloth Zafner--who was a bit taller and held a somewhat lean but trimmed build--preferred a matte gray cloak held together by a stitched frog-tie clasp. As the two men emerged from the underside of the iLambada/i-class shuttle the wind kicked up a little stronger, this time whipping their cloaks up and over their shoulders revealing the rest of their clothing. Each was dressed in simple, non-descript yet personally fitting clothing. Tymn carried an almost smuggler's look, from the gray synth-leather jacket with it's off- white pinstripes running from the inch-high collar down the sleeves to wrap around the cuffs to the plain black pants tucked into the black--calf-high-- pilot's boots. Unlike Rayloth, Tymn carried a set of DL-44 blaster pistols strapped to either thigh; he very rarely used the clumsy weapons but argued that one never knew when a good blaster would come in handy. Rayloth, however, preferred to wear clothes of a more...itraditional/i manner, differing only in the color scheme of the outfit; he was partial to green, black, and purple instead of the dull tan, white, and brown. Though different in their own way, each man carried an item that was irrefutable evidence of who and what they were.  
  
Lightsabers; Tymn's hung from the right of his belt and Rayloth's from the left.  
  
The two men cleared the shuttle's shadow and headed directly for the small group of sentients gathered at the northeast edge of the landing platform. The group consisted of roughly five men--Rayloth could sense two men who were out of their line of site--and two women all of which were human; the latter were in the center of a semi-circle. Indecently, one of these women was the person whom they were here to see. About four days ago Rayloth and Tymn had been summoned by the New Council, stationed on Coruscant. The fact that not even a week had passed since the pair's last mission--which hadn't gone iexactly/i as planned; the man they were sent to retrieve unharmed was still getting used to his new prosthetic arm-- hadn't sat too well with either of them. Yet, despite their apprehension, Rayloth and Tymn arrived in the Council Chamber to discover that they'd been requested for a "special" assignment. They hadn't been given specifics really, only the desired meeting place, a few names and one instruction: Come via New Republic Transport.  
  
This particular aspect of the assignment had made Rayloth uneasy. It meant that he'd have to leave his personal transport, a Corellian YT-2400 light stock freighter crissoned the iCrimson Force/i, back on Coruscant. Tymn on the other hand, who generally piloted an out-dated Incom T-16 X-wing star fighter--which was a direct result of his idolizing Master Horn, one of the few on the Council from the days of the New Republic/Empire War and one of the last of the pilots who helped to put Rogue Squadron's name in the history wafers--saw it as time to meditate. Unable to find a decent argument against taking a NR Transport, Rayloth had gone back to his small apartment in the Temple of Coruscant and quickly packed what he'd need for the trip--which wasn't ever much, a spare set of robes, some basic supplies and his lightsaber--and had met Tymn at the Temple's only docking bay.  
  
After three days in hyperspace the shuttle had arrived at their destination; a small Mid-Rim planet called Dandora'an. Rayloth's home world. This, he knew, was the reason he and his friend had been requested for this mission...which, of course, neither had any idea about. Both had a feeling they were about to find out. The two reached the group, both standing shoulder to shoulder, and stopped just short of a meter from the woman who seemed to be the leader. Both men bowed respectfully and Rayloth extended his hand.  
  
"Ambassador Rob'el, I presume," he said as he gripped her small hand gently; his thin lips curling in a small courteous smile as his green-gray eyes took in her elegant beauty, "I am Rayloth Zafner and this is my partner, Tymn Slashtyrn."  
  
Tymn stepped forward and extended his own hand, his goatee--jet black like his hair--shifting with his own smile. He went a step further, as he always did, and leaned over to lightly kiss the back of her hand. "An honor, your Grace," Tymn's voice held a bit more bass than Rayloth's but, at the same time, managed to hold a gentle tone.  
  
Rob'el smiled brightly as she slipped her hand out of Tymn's and bowed her head as well though not nearly as deep as theirs had been. She was wearing a bright blue dress that hugged her petite form from the shoulder's to the waist, where it flailed out in flowing skirts of shimmersilk that gave the appearance of water cascading from her belt. Her hair was pulled back in a tight braid that fell over her right shoulder and ran between the dip of her breasts and ended in a jeweled clasp that hung just above her navel. "Trust me, Jedi Slashtyrn, the honor is all mine," she shifted her intensely bright blue eyes to look at Rayloth, till talking to Tymn, "Your friend is somewhat of an idol of many inhabitants of Dandora'an," she inclined her head a bit in what seemed to be genuine embarrassment, "including me."  
  
Rayloth's smile broadened a little. "Oh, please, I'm just a simple guy doing all he can to keep the Galaxy safe. Just like any other Jedi," he clapped his left hand on Tymn's right shoulder, "Including my partner here."  
  
Tymn wasn't letting him out of this that easy. His smile shifted into a broad grin as he bowed his head, holding up both hands, "Oh, no. I'm not the one who helped purge the Yuuzhan Vong Garrison from this Dandora'an, pal. That's all you."  
  
Rayloth gave Tymn one of his iThanks a lot/i looks and turned back to Rob'el, strangely determined to avoid being treated like a living legend. "But the War had already ended--several years earlier in fact. They would have been forced out with or without my help."  
  
It was quite apparent that Rob'el was equally determined to thwart Rayloth's modesty. "Yes, but even so, you were only a child of six-teen years, still in the middle of your training. Any other boy that age would have backed down from the conflict. Yet, you stood your ground and helped to make Dandora'an a free world once more."  
  
Rayloth let out a sigh of submission. "I cannot change your opinion and will not continue to try as long as you do me the favor of with holding any praise you may wish to offer me for my efforts in the freeing of Dandora'an. I wish only to be treated as you would a friend."  
  
The ambassador tilted her head a little then nodded curtly and turned to the group behind her, talking to all of them at once, "From this moment on, Jedi Zafner is to be treated as a respected guest of the New Council and given the same treatment as would be bestowed on any other diplomatic guest. Is this understood?" They all nodded as one and she returned her attention to the two Jedi, "There you have it. Shall we head over to the Capital?"  
  
Rayloth tossed Tymn a look he knew all too well, one which he returned, before the two of them nodded in agreement to the ambassador's query. Something didn't quite feel right about that last few seconds of the conversation and they both felt it. From here on out, the two of them would be on full alert.  
  
Ambassador Rob'el nodded again, her bright smile returning to her perfect face as she motioned toward the only other female among the group, who was standing off the left and exactly two steps behind the ambassador. That is, until Ambassador Rob'el's arm reached full extension, upon which she stepped forward.  
  
"This is Janette," Rob'el said, "She will escort you gentlemen to the Capital. I, sadly, must attend to...another matter. I will, however, join you as soon as I can."  
  
There it was again. Not strong enough to set off their Danger Sense, but apparent enough to give them both a "bad feeling." Once more Rayloth tossed Tymn that knowing look before they both bowed and followed Janette to a modest-looking Sarntell hover-limo.  
  
  
  
The limo ride had been uneventful; boring in fact. Dandora'an was Rayloth's home planet and he'd spent most of his childhood running through her many rolling green hills; right up until his departure for the Jedi Academy where he'd lived until the near completion of his training. That was when he'd come home to help push the Vong garrison out of Dandora'anian space. So, needless to say, the fact that the driver of the limo had chosen--or been ordered--to take the "scenic" route back to the Capital wasn't all that emotionally inspiring.  
  
Rayloth looked over to his partner who--not to his surprise--was engaged in conversation with their escort. She was very beautiful, her shoulder-length blonde hair held in a tight braid behind her head, fully revealing her smooth, almost perfect features. Her bright blue eyes always smiled, regardless of what her lips were doing and matched the color of her not-so-plain aide's dress. She was taller than the ambassador and appeared to be a little older as well. He'd caught part of their discussion earlier in the ride and learned that her whole name was Janette Warchinskal and that she was born and raised on Dandora'an to be the Ambassador's aide. It had always struck Rayloth as odd that the Dandora'an government chose to avoid using royal terms for their leading families which ran the governmental system as a democracy even though birth-right, instead of a public election, determined who was to be the next "Ambassador of Dandora'an." He'd lived on the lush planet for the first 12 years of his life and then between the ages of sixteen and eight-teen--from which he'd moved to Coruscant to live in the Council Building--and still he'd never quite figured it out.  
  
iOh, well,/i he thought to himself as he continued to silently watch Tymn and Janette,i there are far more important things to fill my mind's time. Like, for starters, what it is Tymn and I are sensing here./i  
  
As if he'd heard Rayloth's mental use of his name, Tymn turned and grinned at him. Tymn Slashtyrn was the handsome one of the pair. He had jet-black hair, which was kept short and combed back--except for the Padawan braid he'd decided to keep hanging off the back of his right ear-- which matched the goatee that ran from one corner of his never-ending smile to the other. His eyes were a soft, but strong brown and conveyed the power he controlled while at the same time radiated a strong sense of gentle kindness. Rayloth and Tymn were the perfect pair; each complemented the other, stepping in with strengths that the other lacked. The most commonly noted example lied within their abilities in the Force; Tymn--much like his mentor, Corran Horn--had little to no telekinesis but was almost twice as strong in the telepathic aspects while Rayloth was the other way around. While each did in fact have these abilities, it took far too much concentration and effort for any real conventional use in the field; though each did spend a great deal of time trying to strengthen their abilities.  
  
Rayloth was pulled back into the present by the all-too-rough stop made by the hover-limo. He immediately snapped his head around to look out the tinted window on his side. He was sitting closest to the driver's area- -which was closed off by a mirrored, sound-proof window--and on the driver's side of the vehicle, while Tymn was seated in the back on the opposite side. And also looking out his window.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Janette piped in with her soft, soothing voice, "it's just the driver's servo motors. They've been on the fritz lately and he almost always stops on a credit."  
  
She smiled at Tymn, who was only too happy to return the favor. "Just be glad you weren't here when we discovered he couldn't stop at all."  
  
With that the door next to Janette slid open with the hiss of hydraulics and she ducked her head and stepped out. Tymn followed, tossing a glance back toward Rayloth; who'd just noticed that his left hand was resting on his lightsaber. "You okay, Ray?"  
  
Rayloth nodded slowly at first then again with a smile. "Yeah," he said, "I just got a strange feeling is all. Like a kind of..."  
  
"Buzzing at the back of your mind." Tymn finished for him. "Me too. Let's just stay alert."  
  
"One step ahead of you," Rayloth grinned as he moved forward toward the door, "As always."  
  
"You wish, pal."  
  
With a laugh, Tymn stepped out of the limo and Rayloth followed. The sun was now setting and bathed the Capital of Dandora'an in warm shades of red and orange making the already breathtakingly beautiful city twice as eye-catching. Designed and built by an Aldaraanian architect and her family--centuries before the planet's tragic end at the hands of Grand Moff Tarkin and the Empire's first Death Star--Dandora'an's capital city was a true work of art. From the enormous white and silver dome of the Capital Building, which housed the Ambassador and her family and served as the epicenter of the entire government, to the smallest apartment complex and family-owned shop. The entire city was a monument and tribute to the architect who designed it. The city had suffered some damage in the Vong War but had been immediately rebuilt upon their purge from the planet; Rayloth remembered watching the ceremony that marked the rebuilding's completion from his flat on Coruscant. That was about three years ago and, as he stared out over the city from the Capital Building's roof-top docking pad, he'd swear that nothing had ever happened here.  
  
"Man, Ray," Tymn said, clapping his hand on Rayloth's shoulder, "I have to say, you're a lucky man for getting the chance to grow up here."  
  
Rayloth turned and smiled, nodding slightly. "Thank you, Tymn, she's a beautiful planet. Now," he said, turning to Janette, who was talking with some uniformed men just on the other side of the limo, near what had to be the only access point to this pad, "Let's see if we can find out just why we're here, shall we?"  
  
Tymn stepped to the side and waved Rayloth forward, "By all means, Hero of Dandora'an."  
  
Rayloth shook his head a little in amusement; Tymn wasn't about to let this go.  
  
The two of them approached Janette and the uniformed men, which--now that they were closer and their side-arms were in plain sight--Rayloth determined were guards. As they neared, Janette turned to look up at them, her eyes shining with frustration. "I'm terribly sorry, sirs," she said, barely holding back the agitation from her voice, "But it would seem that the Ambassador would like the two of you iescorted/i to your rooms, where she would like you to remain until her arrival."  
  
"Is there a problem?" Tymn asked.  
  
"I don't know just yet," she said, "I've only just discovered her...irequest/i, myself."  
  
Rayloth felt a slight twinge in the Force; Tymn was probing for any hostile intent. When his partner's hands moved to rest at the small of his back instead of coming around and clasping in the front--where he could easily reach his lightsaber--Rayloth inclined his head and smiled warmly. "Then, let's not disappoint her, lead the way."  
  
  
  
"This place is ihuge/i!"  
  
That was all he could Tymn could get out as he and his partner were escorted into his "room." If he'd had to describe the place he'd have used a bigger word. Like "apartment," or "flat," or even "suite." But "room" just didn't seem to describe it. In all twenty-five years of his life, even the twelve spent as a Jedi, he'd never stayed in a place quite this spacious. At least, not by himself.  
  
He followed the Janette, more than likely the most beautiful woman he's ever seen; but there was time for that later. The two of them stopped in the center of what appeared to be the main living area which was divided in two by a set of levels; they were on the lower. Just before the floor rose in a set of lushly carpeted steps--which was the color of Dandora'an's evening sky--a set of three black, synth-leather couches were arranged in a half-circle around a genuine dragonwood table shaped to curve around the inner part of the circle and standing on legs with carvings the likes of which he'd rarely seen. Behind the couches the floor rose up about two meters and held another set of the same couches, this time arranged in front of a holovid screen twice his height in both directions and was currently showing off some of Dandora'an's rain forests and beaches; Tymn was willing to bet that the CorCol Finals would be ten times as exciting to watch on that thing. Off to either side of the holovid was a doorway that opened into a small hallway, he pointed to each.  
  
"Bedrooms," he said, "Fresher and kitchen, right?"  
  
Janette smiled and nodded gently. "There are two bedrooms; one's larger than the other, and plenty of food in the kitchen nook. Feel free to freshen up and enjoy a snack, the Ambassador shouldn't be more than a few hours and I'll call on you before I come to escort you to her council chambers."  
  
Tymn's upper torso dipped a little in a curt bow and his smile broadened. "Thank you, Janette, your Ambassador is sure to receive your praise on my behalf."  
  
Janette simply grinned and bowed her head gently as she slipped backward through the door. Once she was gone Tymn dropped the cheery front and slid over to the door, tossing his cloak over the back of one of the couches. He got to the door and pressed the access panel. Nothing happened.  
  
iThey've locked us in,/i he thought, putting his back to the door and giving the "room" another once-over, this time not missing a single dust-free nick-knack. To the left of the door, in the center of the adjacent wall, was another door, he went to it moving at a slightly quickened pace but not rushed. This door was a lot like the main entrance, only smaller. He tilted his head slightly and hit the access pannel.  
  
iProbably locked,/i he thought as his right index and middle fingers hit the open switch. To his mild surprise, the door slid open with the familiar hydraulic ihiss. Heeeey, what'dya know, it's open./i  
  
One hand resting on the hilt of his lightsaber, Tymn stepped through the door.  
  
And right back into his "room." Or, at least, that what it looked like. It was the same set-up, the same iroom/i only backward. iRayloth's room./i  
  
Lightly, he stretched out with the Force and quickly found his partner's presence; he was in what had to be the kitchen of his room. He felt a small push that told him Rayloth knew Tymn was in the "room" and he started for the kitchen nook. Tymn's partner lacked strength in the telepathic aspects of the Force, but he, like almost all Jedi could touch that small part of their minds and use it; even if in small amounts. Rayloth, for example, could communicate telepathically with select people and only with the use of images; most of the time he simply chose to nudge or push with his mind. Tymn could remember several occasions in which Rayloth's nudges helped Tymn to save his life.  
  
Tymn rounded the doorway for the kitchen and rested his shoulder on the jamb, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"I see you found the link between our rooms." Rayloth had his head buried in the small refrigerator unit that occupied a corner of the modestly sized nook.  
  
Tymn nodded, though he knew Rayloth didn't see it. "Yeah," he said, "I take it you know they've locked us in?"  
  
Rayloth emerged from the fridge with a handful of sandwich stuffs. "Yep," he said, "the second the door closed behind Janette I tried to open it, as I'm sure you did."  
  
"You bet your ship I did." Tymn moved a few steps into the kitchen to stand on the other side of the wooden island cabinet in the center of the room; across from his partner. "Ray, something's not right here. At the docking pad on the roof it was just a buzz in the back of my mind..."  
  
"Now it's stronger." Rayloth finished for him. "I feel it too. The problem is, we really can't do anything about it just yet. We don't know what's going on, just that something's not right. You didn't sense any hostile intent from the guards, right?"  
  
"Right. Even Janette's surprise and agitation was genuine when she told us about the Ambassador's irequest./i"  
  
Rayloth was busy pasting condiments to a slice of bread, one of two he'd placed some thin slices of tan meat on. He looked up. "What about the Ambassador?"  
  
Tymn thought for a second, his right hand coming up to smooth his goatee with his thumb and index finger. "You know I meant to say something about that. When we arrived, she was the first mind I felt. Almost as if she was ipushing/i her presence at me. I'm surprised I didn't remember to say something before now."  
  
"So am I," Rayloth said, "It was the same for me and I was going to say something when we were alone again but I forgot right up until now. Odd."  
  
Tymn realized his hand was still on his chin and pulled it away, resting both on the smooth wooden surface of the island. "Well, partner," he said, leaning forward a bit, "What now?"  
  
Rayloth held up his sandwich, grinning. "We eat," he said before taking an oversized bite.  
  
"Nice."  
  
  
  
Tymn had returned to his room after the two had eaten and there he waited, meditating. The buzzing in the back of his mind had slowly, but steadily grown since the roof and he wanted to try and figure out what it was. He'd reached out with to the Force and what he got in return wasn't much more than a strong feeling--an assurance--that something ivery/i bad was going to happen and he didn't like. Not one bit; and there wasn't any more time to push for further details. Just as he was about to reach a little deeper into his mind and the ever-changing, pulsating Force, the door chime sounded and pulled him out of his trance. He was prepared for that to happen, as he'd set his trance up to stop at any sound; he was just glad his room was luxurious enough to have sound-proof walls.  
  
"Hello again, Jedi Slashtyrn." Janette gracefully slid through the door, her appearance roughly the same as before when she'd left them here with a minor change in the color of her clothing; only a deep crimson instead of the bright blue she'd worn earlier. Something else was different about her; something that didn't help Tymn's "bad feeling."  
  
She wasn't smiling.  
  
Tymn rose to his feet and nodded. "Greetings, Janette." He thought he'd try to learn something about her sudden change of mood without using the Force, "Is there something wrong?"  
  
She only lowered her eyes and shook her head. "No, Jedi Slashtyrn," she said, her voice now laden with an undertone of frustration, "But we mustn't keep the Ambassador waiting."  
  
iOh, yeah, something's going down,/i he thought and then said, "No. No, we mustn't."  
  
He followed her out of his room and over to Rayloth's room. His partner must have had the same "vision" as he had because when Janette chimed and opened the door, Rayloth was standing on the other side, ready to go; Tymn allowed his eyes to fall to his partner's belt and, though he knew Rayloth better than to not be thoroughly prepared, it made him feel a little bit better to see the chrome and black hilt of Rayloth's lightsaber. When his eyes came back up again Rayloth nodded ever-so-slightly. He knew.  
  
"Shall we go see the Ambassador?" Rayloth asked Janette, who nodded and turned to lead them back down the same long, elaborate hallway they'd been iescorted/i down when they'd arrived.  
  
The walk itself went without conversation and Tymn couldn't help but smile at the fact that the guards who were tailing them believed they weren't being noticed. iWe're Jedi you morons/i, he thought to himself shaking his head a little. Out of sheer curiosity, he reached out with the Force and lightly touched Janette's mind, probing her short-term memory and her immediate awareness; and was a bit thrown off. iShe doesn't know they're back there./i  
  
That in itself could mean a hundred different things; most likely of which was that she wasn't supposed to know. After all, she hadn't known about the Ambassador's sudden need to be somewhere else and the irequest/i for Tymn and Rayloth to be escorted and locked into their rooms had been a frustrating shock to her as well. So it wasn't too hard to believe that the three men...and one woman...following them through the over-sized, over-decorated hallways of the Capital Building were there without her knowledge. Of course it was always possible that these men, and woman, weren't isupposed/i to be there.  
  
Almost as if that thought had been a cue, Tymn's Danger Sense flared something fierce and an instant later his lightsaber was in his hands. Reading commands from the Force, Tymn spun on his heels, both hands locked around the tan and chrome hilt of his saber and raising to about head level. In the next instant he ignited the weapon and the familiar silver blade of focused light spewed forth with a isnap-hiss/i. Before the blade could even get fully extended, Tymn brought it down and across his body and felt the momentary resistance of a deflected blaster bolt--like a bat connecting with the small white sprackball--aimed for the small of his back. He gave a glance to his left and saw that Rayloth had deflected a similarly aimed shot and now stood in his familiar battle stance; his feet shoulder-width apart and his saber held in front of him, the emerald blade held at a diagonal from his body. By now Tymn had dropped into his stance as well, his hand working skillfully around his hilt as his left foot came a step forward and his fencing arm dropped back behind him, the blade held backward and pointing up.  
  
Janette, who hadn't heard the shots due to the high-tech silencers on the blaster rifles two of their four attackers held, had spun at the sound of the lightsabers igniting and ducked instinctively. Now, though she stood-up straight and addressed their attackers. As he'd sensed, Tymn saw four of them, three men, one woman--who was strangely hard to sense--all human and all dressed in the uniforms of the Capital Guards.  
  
"What in the name of Tachlian are you idoing/i?!"  
  
The female stepped forward; once more, she gave off a hard-to-sense presence, he could feel her though the Force but that was about it. She was tall and fit her dark blue and black uniform fitting snug to her trim body. Her shoulder-length brown hair was held in a loose pony-tail at the base of her skull and her intense blue eyes were fixed on Janette but the blaster rifle in her grip was trained on Tymn. Her lips, which--Tymn thought to himself--would be lush and beautiful if she smiled, were drawn back in sneer. "Apparently, islachzanch/i, we're trying to make a point," she bit out, "Now, if you'll get your sniveling, pathetic face out of my sight I may not let my associates use you as well."  
  
That did it for Tymn. Without truly noticing he'd done it, he'd stepped between the attackers and Janette. "Whoa," he said, "Let's not do something you'll regret here lady. You've already gotten yourselves in iway/i over your heads trying to shoot us..."  
  
"In the back," Rayloth said quietly. Tymn looked over to his partner and saw that he'd also put himself between the gunner on their right and Janette. iThat's what I like to see,/i Tymn thought at Rayloth.  
  
Tymn nodded at his partner and continued. "Now, I'm not sure how your government punishes attempted murder, but we're diplomatic ambassadors on a mission for the Jedi Council."  
  
"Which places your crime in the hands of the New Republic," Rayloth said.  
  
"And the Senate iseriously/i frowns on assassination attempts of their representatives. So," Tymn shifted his weight a little more onto his forward foot, visually preparing for an attack, "the choice is yours."  
  
Rayloth lowered his center of mass a little, giving the same obvious prepared look. "Surrender or be brought down."  
  
For a few seconds the only noise in the hallway was the consistent humming of their lightsabers and Tymn thought for a second that his and Rayloth's warning had gotten through to the strange, harsh woman and her associates. Then that second passed and she began to laugh.  
  
"You honestly believe that I'm afraid of the New Republic or it's boot-kissing iJeedai?!/i"  
  
They both caught it, but Rayloth spoke first, "What'd you call us?!"  
  
She blinked and her sneer deepened. "I called you Jedi, and I used the word with disgust!" She spit at the floor in front of their feet to emphasize this point.  
  
Tymn looked down then back up, and when he spoke his voice carried a taunting lightheartedness. "Hey, lady, that's a nasty habit you've got there, I'd appreciate an apology on behalf of our lovely escort."  
  
Tymn Slashtyrn had learned from his master that taking a lighthearted approach to an opponent's threats and actions often helped to determine weather they were serious about going through with their plans. Their current attacker was.  
  
"Kill them!"  
  
Without warning, the other three opened fire, at the same time ducking or crouching behind the Andorian marble pillars that lined the hallway. Without thinking, Tymn and Rayloth dove entirely into the defensive, allowing the Force to flow freely; pulling it in on themselves like a blanket or a shield. His mind now completely open to the ever- binding energy around him, in him, the events around Tymn seemed to almost slow down. He knew that that wasn't the case, that it was just the Force showing him what was going to happen fractions of a second ahead; giving him that much more time to react. With this on his side, Tymn Slashtyrn side-stepped toward Janette and deflected a crimson bolt that--had he not reacted--would have burned a hole the size of his fist in her forehead; the bolt panged off the nearest polished pillar and caught one of their attackers in the side of the head. Not the best possible outcome, but one he'd have to accept for now. After all, he was only defending himself and Janette.  
  
"You okay?" he yelled over his shoulder, his silver blade slicing the air to bat away another bolt. Their attackers, so far were content with simply trying to overpower them with an endless folly of shots from their hiding places.  
  
Janette, who'd ducked instinctively, forced a smile. "Yeah, thanks."  
  
"That's what I'm here for."  
  
Tymn caught some movement out of the corner of his eye and allowed a quick glance in that direction. He was not surprised by what he saw. His partner had stepped in closer to Janette's opposite side and was now working to defend that side from a new group of attackers, all dressed in the same black and blue outfits and brandishing the same blaster-rifles.  
  
"Where'd these guys come from?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure, pal," Rayloth called over the sound of hard energy blowing a hole in the floor, "But someone should have mentioned that this party was invite only."  
  
"Yeah, seeings as how our dance cards are full!" Tymn's wrists twisted sharply and yet another bolt whizzed through the air, off another pillar and stopping in the thigh of it's shooter; who went down like a sack of duracrete blocks and snapped off a wild shot that caught his nearest associate in the gut. "If we don't do something soon, Ray, these guys are going to kill themiselves/i."  
  
Rayloth's lightsaber made a cut a wide arc through the air and batted two more bolts away, one of which ricocheted off the wall, a pillar and blasted a hole in the side of an attacker's helmet. "Yeah," he said, his voice bearing a heavy tone, "In this hallway there's nothing we can do to stop their own shots from killing them." He paused long enough to bat away another bolt, then another from the opposite side. "And they don't seem to care."  
  
"They're following orders," Janette said suddenly, "Almost like droids. As if they're more afraid of what'll happen if they idon't/i."  
  
"Well," Tymn called out, "Either way, we can't stay here! We've got to bail!"  
  
"My thoughts exactly, partner!" Rayloth released the grip on his saber with his left hand and snapped it toward the group, on his side, that had crashed the party. Tymn felt a strong shift in the Force and saw the eight or so attackers that hadn't been taken down by their own shots fly off their feet as if hit with a ivery/i large object; Tymn knew that Rayloth had been building that blast up and wouldn't have a whole lot left if they didn't move now. "Hey, look at that, they couldn't handle the fun!"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Tymn yelled over all the noise, which--he realized-- should have called isomeone's/i attention by now. He then side-stepped once more and took up a stronger defensive position, allowing Rayloth to lead the way while he covered their rear. Once they'd made it across the hall and around some of the pillars that the second group--some of whom were beginning to stir--had taken up position behind, Tymn searched for a way to slow the remaining attackers down. There. The ceiling. Given the extremely lavish decor of this hallway and all those he'd seen in the Capital building thus-far, it was no surprise that--at regular intervals-- the ceiling held fairly large crystal chandeliers; one of which was right above him.  
  
This would take some fancy footing and expert timing. He deflected a few more shots before the right one came. It was a shot from an attacker directly ahead of him. When he felt the calling of the Force, telling him it was coming he hesitated for a mere fraction of a second then shuffle- stepped and pivoted on his right foot, all the while bending his knees and bringing his lightsaber in an underhanded arc. When the bolt reached the point he had just vacated, his blade came up under it and sent the beam of crimson energy sizzling straight up and into the chandelier. There was an explosion of crystal and metal and a flash of light which filled the few seconds that seemed to suddenly stand still. Then it came down.  
  
By the time the huge ornament hit the floor, Rayloth and their guide had already begun to move. Tymn didn't hesitate either; as the resulting spray of crystal and forged metal exploded into the air, filling the hallway with the necessary smoke screen they'd need, enhanced by a Force induced image that the group had bolted straight down the hallway and around the left side of the T at the end, Tymn bolted after his friend. 


End file.
